The Dragon's Maiden
by Dark Carpathian Princess
Summary: [Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde] It has been three and half weeks that Alys has been with Selendrile, and as they travel to his homeland, she thinks about her choice, and wonders if Selendrile has more planned for her than what he has told her.
1. The Journey

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon's Bait, Selendrile, Alys or the cave they are in... In fact, I don't own anything. Mrs. Vande Velde is the master behind this great masterpiece.

Hope everyone enjoys this new story. It was fun writing it, and hopefully the next chapter will be just as fun. I look forward to reviews and such! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: The Journey

_"Well, then, in that case, I will."_

How those words had changed her life. Alys had now accompanied Selendrile for three and a half weeks. And right now, she had no idea where they were. Selendrile had flown her all around the countryside ever since she had agreed to stay with him.

Selendrile had not really been a talkative companion, but he provided her with shelter, food, and clothing. At times though, especially in the middle of the night, when she was the most exhausted, he would disappear for a few hours at a time, then reappear as though he had only been gone a couple of minutes. During these times, he left Alys in an abandoned barn, a house, or a cave. He would light a fire, hand her the bag that held her clothes, food, and blankets, and tell her to stay, then leave without another word.

Usually she would try to sleep during these times, although she was afraid that someone or something would come across her. Despite the fact that she kept telling herself that she had had enough sleep during the day when Selendrile was forced to become the dragon and sleep, she would somehow succumb to her tiredness. After the adrenaline had worn off after she had been accused of being a witch, she found it was much harder to sleep _all_ day, but even harded to stay up _all _night traveling with Selendrile, except for the few hours that he vanished.

And everytime she asked him where they were going, he always replied, "_to my home land_", and when she would ask where that was, he would just smile.

Alys sighed, pulling her rough-spun wool blanket closer around her. She was in another cave that Selendrile had placed her in while he went off once more. It was late autumn now and the nights were growing colder. The fire that Selendrile had set for her and the blanket were just enough to keep her teeth from chattering. What would she do when winter began to set in for sure and the snow came? Surely Selendrile didn't expect her to survive in those conditions of the freezing weather.

_Maybe _he was taking her to his homeland so that he could set up a perminate home for them... at least she prayed that he would not leave her alone, on her own. Alys knew, for certain, that if Selendrile left her, she would not survive for long. Selendrile was the only person in the world whom she could actually depend on, since all of her family and true friends were dead.

But hopefully, Selendrile couldn't leave her anyway... but as Alys thought about it, the less she was sure. Selendrile didn't seem to really care about anything. The last time she had actually been able to read his expression was when he had asked her not to leave him when he had been shackled by Atherton and was dying.

Suddenly there was a sound in the forest, outside of the cave Alys had taken refuge in, and she stiffened. Less than a minute later, Selendrile walked in, carrying two more blankets, another sack of clothes, and still another sack of food... and a loaf of bread. He set it all down at the mouth of the cave and turned to study Alys.

"Welcome back," Alys said softly, eyeing the sack of fruit and bread. She had not eaten anything since breakfast that morning, which had only been a small, beaten-up apple. In other words, she was starving.

Selendrile, for the first time that week, smiled at her and asked, "Are you hungry?"

Alys smiled back, nodded and replied, "Famished."

She was about to get up from her slumped position against the cave wall, but Selendrile bent to pick up the food and brought it over to her. She took the food and immediately tore off a piece of the mouth-watering, delicious bread. Stuffing it into her mouth, she watched as Selendrile added two more logs of wood to the now smoldering fire. She wanted to offer him some of the food, but everytime she asked him, he would say that he had already "_fed_", and she didn't really like to pressure him and question his lack of nutrition... though she suspected he ate everytime he went out without her.

Selendrile reached for one of their bags and brought out a small cup. Then he began to walk back further into the darkness of the rear of the cave, cup and bag in hand.

"Where are you..." Alys began to ask him, but he disappeared once more. Alys shrugged and took another bite of bread. _It will not be the first time he has run off and not told me where in the world he was going. _

She had almost finished the bread when Selendrile came back. The cup he had taken with him was now filled with some kind of steaming liquid. He handed it to her and as she smelled the fumes, she realized it was tea. But where did he find the tea leaves? Surely he had not stolen the them.

When she took a sip, she tasted something very, very sweet. She jerked her head up, her confused and yet delighted expression telling him all he needed to know. He smiled.

"The sweetness you taste is called _sugar_. I had guessed that you had not ever had any before, so I thought you might like it."

Alys just stared at him, then took a another, longer sip. It tasted _so _good. Alys asked, "Where did you get it?"

Selendrile shrugged, "Some lord's stable, about twenty miles from here."

Alys choked on the delectable tea at his words, and Selendrile looked at her as though she were insane. Alys ignored his countenance and yelped, "You stole this from a lord?!"

Selendrile reached into the bag that had held the cup and tea leaves, and pulled out a much smaller but bulging bag. Alys guessed that it had more money it. But when he tossed it to her, she noticed there was no clattering of coins as there should have been. It landed on her lap, and she cautiously opened it... to small, sparkling crystal cubes.

She took one out and examined it closer, awed and entranced by the way the fire glinted off of it, like the sun on new-fallen snow. Curiously, she touched her tongue to it, but pulled back almost abruptly from the foreign sweetness and exquisite taste of something she had never known existed.

She test-tasted it again and then popped it into her mouth, savoring the essence of the small cube and the moment. She sucked on the cube for a small time till it became a round ball in the middle of her mouth. Then, she experimented with the hardness of it by cautiously biting down until it became a crunchy powder. She swallowed the rest, relishing the aftertaste of such a tenuous pleasure.

Selendrile had been watching her, an amused look etched all over his passive face. But now, he bent over to grab one of the extra blankets that he had just brought back with him earlierand laid it down close to the fire. He sat down on the floor, leaning against the cavern wall.

Suddenly, even though she didn't know if it was out of the cold or being perturbed with Selendrile watching her like that, a chill went through Alys and she shivered. She pulled her blanket closer around her, realizing that the warmth the tea had provided was now nonexistent.

Selendrile noted this and picked up another blanket, opening it up to her, he said, "Come here."

Alys, wondering why he was being so nice to her tonight, wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and got up, walking over to him. She sat in front of him and he put the second blanket over her lap, covering her to her feet. Then, _another _big surprise tonight, Selendrile wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his warmer body.

Alys stiffened at first, unused to such close proximity to anyone, but once the warmth of his body seeped into her cool one, she relaxed, letting her head fall back against his shoulder. His arms held her tighter and almost immediately, Alys felt much warmer.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" she whispered to him, watching the light from the fire sparkle against the stone cave wall. She licked her lips, remembering the luscious tidbit of sugar as it dissolved in her mouth. She eyed the bag now vacanted on the other side of the cave and wondered what Selendrile would say if she asked for another one.

Selendrile paused before answering, then whispered back, "Completing our journey."

Alys hoped he didn't mean that they would end the relationship between them there too. Alys had become dependent on Selendrile's hospitality, and she didn't like the idea of being on her own. Maybe she could survive without him, but if Alys had a choice, she didn't want to find out. "Where are we?" she asked instead, hoping that he would finally answer the question she had been asking him for three weeks now.

"France, about a hundred miles from my home."

"Why did you want to bring me here?" Alys had been wondering about it since the first day he told her they were going to his homeland. If he just wanted to get rid of her, she wanted to know. _But then, why would he bring me all this way just to get rid of me? Unless he plans to give me up to the dragon-king as a tribute_. But that seemed silly even to Alys. He had already said that maidens were of no importance to dragons. _But then why did he bring me here? We both know that I am too much trouble to him than I am worth... Perhaps it would have just been better for both of us if he had just let the wolves eat me, or let the villagers burn me._

But these depressing thoughts had nothing to do with what Selendrile said next, "I want you to meet my family."

Now when Alys thought about, she hadn't _really_ thought that they were many other dragons in the world. At least she hadn't thought that there were many shapeshifting dragons like Selendrile, but it was stupid of her not think that there were more. "So there really are others? More like you?"

Selendrile laughed, "Alys, surely you didn't think that I am the only dragon."

"Well maybe not the only dragon, but the only golden dragon. You told me that they were not very many of you from the beginning... I guess I just never thought about it before."

Somehow, Slendrile's arms tightened around her and she relaxed completely, sighing contentedly. "What are they like?" Alys asked aloud, "What is your home like?"

There was a short silence, but Alys was beginning to feel the effects the warmth of the fire, blankets, and Selendrile's body induce her, whispering promises of rest and luxury.

"I want you to be surprised tomorrow, so I'm not going to say anything tonight. Besides your tired." His hand began to caress her hair, starting from her scalp then running through to her chopped-up, uneven ends, and back up again to repeat the process.

Alys' eyes drooped, but she poked him and tried to catch his hand in order to make him stop skimming his hand through her hair. "I don't want to go to sleep. I want to learn more about you. Like, how old are you really?"

Selendrile laughed in her ear, dropping his head lower to the base of her neck. "Do you really want the answer to that?"

Alys yawned, nodding, "I think it's only fair that you tell me something about yourself. I know nothing about you, but you practically know my entire life's story." Alys recalled the time when she had sat in the barn with him and had told him everything about herself, and she remembered how he had seemed so uninterested and bored. Not that she blamed him, her life had not been very eventful... till the day that she had been accused of being a witch.

Selendrile sighed. And Alys wondered what he would do if she really began to get on his nerves. But instead of telling her off, he said, "The golden dragons do not age as normal humans do, as you know. I am not seventeen. Actually about more than three times that age..."

"Times?" Alys asked, confused, "What does that mean?"

Selendrile smiled, "I guess you've never been taught math before either."

"I know how to add and subtract!" Alys declared, proudly. Most of the children in the village, especially girls, were not taught mathematics. If your family didn't own a shop or sell crops, then there was no need to teach the children how to add and subtract above the number twenty. Alys could proudly say that her father had taught her how to count to a hundred.

"Adding and subtracting are not the only ways of math. There is also multiplying and dividing."

Alys yawned once more, "I'm too tired to learn anything tonight... just tell me how old you are."

He didn't anser and Alys couldn't stop herself from drifting off into the black oblivion of sleep. But as her breathing slowed, she could have sworn she felt Selendrile brush his lips over the top of her head and murmur, "I'm 68 years old."

When Alys awoke, a large golden dragon was taking up almost the entire space of the cave, and when she looked outside... she saw the first frost, the sign that winter was very close.


	2. End of the Line

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon's Bait, Selendrile, Alys or the cave they are in... In fact, I don't own anything. Mrs. Vande Velde is the master behind this great masterpiece.

Also, I do not own the title of this chapter. It is a song written by Christi Mac. I choose it because it reminded me of what Alys could be going through... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 2: End of the Line

The sun sparkled on the frost that clung to the forest grass, causing a warm yet chilling effect in the air and in Alys. Although the sun would warm the day, time was now more precious than ever as winter slowly began to claim it. Alys looked around cave and watched as the last embers of the fire slowly faded into dark ashes. Her father had taught her how to build fires a few years ago, so she didn't need to worry about warmth from the cold.

She sat up from her slumped position against the cavern wall and realized that two more blankets had been placed over and around her, warming her and cushioning her from the hard stone. Her neck and shoulders were sore from the hours that she had slept in her slouched position against rock. It took a few minutes before she could move her legs and when she was able, she got up on her knees and raised her arms above her head in a languid stretch. She glanced at the slumbering dragon, recalling all that Selendrile had said last night.

Was he really only 68 years old? It was said that dragon's lived for hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. But, was that true? If so, Selendrile had to be lying to her. Alys shook her head. She was used to his lies, but then, why had he been so nice last night? _This could all be a game to him. _Alys was surprised by that thought. What if she was just an amusement to him? But how amusing could it possibly be to have to care for a human's every need? Alys shook her head once again, feeling the beginnings of a headache forming at her temples from her numerous, confusing thoughts.

Suddenly, a picture of her fallen father appeared in her mind and she heard him speak as though she had just talked with him the day before, _"Don't give up hopes and dreams, young one. They are what keeps the world from falling to fear and hate. Remember, Alys, you can be the one to save the world from that despair. Keep fighting, Alys, keep going..." _The voice faded and Alys found herself back in the small, cold cave.

Her father had said those words to her just after her mother had died. He had held her hand as Father Joseph crossed himself, recited the burial ritual, and sprinkled holy water on Mother's coffin. Alys had stood quietly, tears sliding down her cheeks as she bade her mother good-bye. Later that night, she had laid down on her straw bed staring into the fire with red-rimmed eyes. She had not touched the soup she had prepared for her father and that was when her father had sat beside her. They had watched the flames dance around the logs in silence for a while before he had said those life-changing words. He had looked so wise that night, with the firelight casting shadows on his red-brown hair and beard.

Tears began to slide down Alys' cheeks as the watched the sun melt the frost outside of the cave. She bit her lip, emotions beginning to take the place of her usual calm and unnerving self. _"I'll try, Father," _she whispered to the air. She couldn't help but feel guilty about her father's death. Although she couldn't have prevented his illness, she couldn't help but think that her being accused of witchcraft had somehow drained him of any resistance to the sickness he had left. Why did it seem that anyone she loved eventually died?

_Does that mean that Selendrile is in danger?_

Immediately, Alys shut that thought out. No, she didn't love Selendrile. Sure, she was grateful that he had saved her life, but gratitude did not equal love. Besides, Selendrile was a dragon, a predator... a _killer_. He was more than likely to see her as a meal than anything more. She wasn't even sure that she could completely trust Selendrile.

It had seemed that ever since the beginning of their journey to his homeland together, Selendrile had kept her walking in circles, confused, tired, and apprehensive of the future. Which just brought back the questions: "_Was she just an amusement to him? Did he care one way or the other what became of her?_"

Alys wiped her wet cheeks and stood, deciding to walk for a while in an effort to clear her mind and maybe get rid of the headache that was pounding out a loud, painful rhythm against her skull. As she took her first step towards the forest, her stomach rumbled as if in protest to her thinking of running off on an empty stomach. Alys grabbed the bag of fruit that Selendrile had brought back with him last night and took out an apple. Just before she took her first bite, she saw the the other, smaller bag that held the sweet "sugar" on the other side of the cave, exactly where she had left it. Slowly, as if in indecision, she lowered the apple and walked over to the bag. She eyed it for several minutes before leaning over to pick it up.

She opened it carefully and took one of the sparkling cubes into her palm. She held it for a moment, remembering the exquiste taste and wondering if Selendrile would mind if she had just one more. More out of impulse than rebellion, she popped the crystal-shimmering cube into her mouth. Unable to wait any longer for the delectable taste, she bit down as hard as she could to create the soft powder. At once, the soft powder dissolved on her tongue and she swallowed the rest, licking her lips to catch even the smallest grain of sugar.

She looked back down at the bulging bag in her hand and thought, "_Selendrile won't know if I have just a couple more. It's not as though he had spent his time counting exactly how many cubes are in the bag_." Alys held back a laugh as she thought about it. Selendrile wouldn't mind if she ate a couple more.

Her mood was considerably lighter as she dropped the apple back into the larger bag, and walked out of the cave with the tiny bag of sugar in hand. She inhaled the beauty of the cool forest morning as she stepped into the sun.

The opening of the cave faced West, the sun peeking over the top of the cave and creating a spectacular show of vibrant colors among the trees and wet grass. It was a radiant morning, that promised an even more wonderful day to follow it. She heard the sounds of flowing water close by so she went in search of it, walking through the numerous trees and dodging short or fallen branches. The sound of rushing water became louder as she came upon a fallen tree in the middle of her intended path.

Alys paused to pick out another cube of sugar from the bag before hopping over the tree and continuing towards the harmony of swishing water. With each step, the splashes grew louder and she found the fair stream several minutes later. She kneeled at the side of the water and placed the sugar at her left side.

She gathered up water in her hands, finally realizing that the sugar was making her mouth and throat dry. She took a small sip, the cold water escaping through her closed fingers. Then, she filled her hands with more water and took a longer sip. She wiped her hands on her men's breeches, looking around her into the beautiful golden forest. She had prefered the breeches to skirts since she had pretended to be a boy when she and Selendrile had plotted revenge against Atherton and Gower. When she had said that to Selendrile though, he frowned at her sharply and didn't answer. He just picked up the peasant's skirt he had just brought back after his usual night-time alone outtings and threw it into the fire, looking every bit a predator and a killer.

She hadn't meant to make him angry, but it truly was much better in men's clothes. Alys sighed. With Selendrile, Alys could never be sure of what he was thinking or what he was going to do next. He was a maze of riddles and questions that had no answers and Alys couldn't help but sort of feel sorry for herself.

Suddenly, there was a noise behind Alys and she whirled around, wondering who could have travelled this deep into the forest so early in the morning. She knew it was a human because no animal would make this much racket... but Alys heard voices, angry voices and they were becoming louder with every moment. Bushes rattled and shook in the distance, and she heard one of the fellows say...

"...You dropped it!? How could you drop it? You're so stupid, Ardan! Do you have no sense of self-preservation at all!? If you don't find that thing in three hours, we are both DEAD!"

But it didn't sound like a man, actually a lot smaller. And whatever it was had a strange accent that Alys had never heard before. The other fellow spoke up, and Alys could tell he was nervous, with a high, squeaky voice and was obviously shaking.

"B...bbuu... bbuut, Oisin, you don't knnn... know that f.. for sure. I mean, it could still... bbb...eee... at the tree. Maybee... we should just gghh... go look for it."

Alys stepped forward, unsure if these beings were the friendly type or not. But obviously, she didn't watch where her foot was going to land and a stick cracked deafeningly in the silent forest. Alys sucked in and held her breath. _Great, Alys, just peachy.._

"Ssssshhhhhh!" One of the fellows whispered, obnoxiously, as though he didn't care if the other was quiet or not. "Did you hear that?" Silence for a moment. "Something's out there."

"Oisin, what c..could be out here at th...this time? There iss... nothing but squirrels and... rrr...rabbits and our kind in... this part of the.. the woods."

_Our kind? _Alys repeated that in her mind, turning it over and over. What could they possibly be? Alys was now almost certain that the things were not humans, they sounded smaller than men and definately not children. _So what are they?_ She got down on her hands and knees, and carefully, watching where she was going this time, crawled toward the once moving bushes.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkk!"

"For goodness sakes, Ardan, what now?" The one called Osh-een sounded really annoyed.

"I saw something... bbb... BIG... ooo...over there!"

Alys froze, willing all limbs to just cease all movement. But Alys saw something move in the trees...

"Run, Ardan! It's HIM! RUN! Towards the spring! GO!"

_Uh-oh_. Alys didn't have time to move before the small beings were right in front of her. They were less than two feet high, reaching to up to Alys' knee. They both were wearing red and gold breeches with rich green coats. They came to an abrupt halt right in front of her, one running straight into the back of the other and stared at her for a moment as though they had never seen a human girl before.

Before any of them could do or say anything, a shadow fell across them from above. Alys threw back her head and was astonished to see Selendrile circling over them, his amethyst eyes glaring down on her. The two little people shrieked and ran under the nearest bush as Selendrile dipped lower over them, his wings causing the tops of the trees the sway back and forth. With a soft growl, as though he was warning Alys, he flew around them one more time before rising up into the sky and disappearing from their sights.

The little people came out from the bush, staring up at her, wide-eyed, as though she had just performed some kind of spell over them. One of them whistled and looked up into the sky like he was making sure there were no pigs flying overhead.

"He's gone. Just like that! My goodness, he didn't even try to attack us!"

The other looked up at her, suspiciously. "But why didn't he? How could he let a human live? I mean, there is us but a human, Ardan? Why would he just leave?"

Ardan also turned his attention to Alys and she sat down fully, her legs crossed in front of her. "Well, human," the one who regarded her with distrust spoke, somewhat slowly as though he thought she was unintelligent, "can you speak?"

Alys snorted, but then realized how rude that was and tried to cover it with a cough. "Of course I can speak. And if you don't mind my asking... what exactly are you?"

"My dear girl," Ardan said, laughing, "we are the wee folk, the tree-dwellers." When Alys still looked blank, Ardan lost his smile and sighed. "Humans," she heard him mutter to Oisin, "Mother always said that they were slow when it comes to processing things. She said their brains were much smaller than their _ego_."

Oisin clicked his tongue disapprovingly and Ardan turned back to Alys, a new, more friendly smile on his face. "My dear girl, I apologize. We are leprechauns."

* * *

So? Complaints? Encore? Or just plain stupid of me to ask? tehe. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up and I hope it's not a disappointment. Hopefully I can have chapter 3 up before another month goes by but I can't make any promises. I'll just try my hardest! Thanks for reading and please leave a review and tell me if you hated it/loved it/or just want to give me some advice. Oh, and Happy belated St. Patrick's Day! 


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